Crikey - Post-sanction Myanmar a tough place to do business

Created: 22 Oct 2012

Publication: Crikey
Title: Post-sanction Myanmar a tough place to do business
Date: 13 August 2012
Author: Victoria Bruce
Excerpt: "“For the first time in a long time, investors see a government here that is serious about opening the country and creating a place where people can do business,” said Jared Bissinger, a PhD candidate at Macquarie University who is studying Myanmar’s economy. ”I think these are the most important reasons why there is so much excitement about Myanmar right now.”

But he says Myanmar may soon suffer from “investor fatigue”, as firms come to terms with the difficulty of doing business in a country emerging from 50 years of central economic planning. “Infrastructure — especially roads, telecommunications, and electricity — are desperately inadequate and among the worst in Asia,” he said.

“These things cannot change overnight — developing the capacity of the government and the country’s human and physical capital will take decades. Of course, business will play a huge role in this, but they have to understand that investment environment can only improve gradually — not overnight.”"